Zabaeccan Polytheism
Zabaeccan polytheism, also known as the''' Zabaeccan religion', is an ancient polytheistic belief system that the Zabaeccans and their predecessors believed in and based their entire societies and cultures around. Even though almost no one in modern times believes in the Zabaeccan deities, the religion still interests humans and are frequently regarded as ancient literature masterpieces. Theology The universe in Zabaeccan polytheism is goverened by deities. Almost every aspect of the universe is goverened by one of the many gods or goddesses who make up the Zabaeccan pantheon. To the Zabaeccans, the universe was created by a primordial being simply known as The First. However, the universe it created was corrupted by Aetaxia (Chaos Incarnate), as is the balance of things -- and thus darkness and evil was spawned. The First begot two children: Moras and Hovaris. As Chaos expanded across creation, Moras and Hovaris had their own children: Aeternus, Erena, and Semper. With the combined powers of the Altissimi, they were able to dismember Aetaxia and throw most of its creations into an isolated realm -- Spatial Perverse. The pieces of Chaos were then strewn between realms so reuniting the Force of Discord would be an almost impossible feat. Pantheon In the Zabaeccan religion, there are over 40 distinct deities. Due to their defined governance, some deities are more important and powerful than others -- and thus they are categorized into four deity classes. Primordial Beings The primordial beings are those who existed before any other deity. '''The First', itself, precedes all creation and is the source for the entire universe. Aetaxia, however, was born along with the rest of the universe as a byproduct of universal balance. In the religious text Orsa, The First is described as creating everything -- and then is begotten with Moras and Hovaris. After Aetaxia is defeated by its offspring, all attention is turned away from its whereabouts or further interaction. Aetaxia is described as pure chaos and has no true form due to its nature. It is also neither evil nor good, and cannot control its own actions. The Altissimi The Altissimi are the first generation of deities and are by far the most powerful and significant. They are: *'Moras', god of Time *'Hovaris', goddess of Space *'Aeternus', god of Eternity *'Erena', goddess of Fate *'Semper', god of Continuity Moras and Hovaris are the two children of Aetaxia. Aeternus, Erena, and Semper are Moras and Hovaris' own children. Arcadian Deities The Arcadians are the high-gods of Zabaeccan polytheism; their governances and roles in the universe are more significant than the lesser deities. They are also the ones who have the most influence over mortals and other beings within the Overworld. First Generation Arcadians The following are the first Arcadians to be born into creation: *'Uses', god of Junope and the Overworld *'Ashur', god of Death and the Gehenna *'Madan', goddess of the Sky *'Cilia', goddess of the Suns *'Ambrosia', god of the Moon Uses and Ashur are the sons of Aeternus and Erena; Madan, Cilia, and Ambrosia are the children of Erena and Semper. Second Generation Arcadians These are the Arcadians who were begotten to the first generation: *'Anakreos', god of the Oceans *'Fulmeus', god of Weather and Storms *'Adorus', goddess of Light and Salt *'Craea', god of Shadow and Pepper *'Wystus', god of War *'Castiel', god of Peace *'Nilreus', goddess of Fire *'Eileen', goddess of Love, Marriage, Beauty, and Pleasure Anakreos, Castiel, and Fulmeus are the sons of Uses and Madan, Adorus and Eileen are the daughters of Cilia and Uses, Craea is the son of Ambrosia and Cilia, Wystus is the son of Ashur and Madan, and Nilreus is the daughter of Cilia and Ashur. Third Generation Arcadians The following are the third and final generation of Arcadians -- who were born to the second generation: *'Columbia', goddess of Law, Government, and Order *'Maaris', goddess of Luxury, Parties, and Wine *'Amitiel', god of Luck and Fortune *'Pecunas', god of Economy and Trade *'Dracoth', the Dragon-god *'Midemes', god of Theft, Vandalism, and Murder *'Luis', god of Plague and Curses *'Sanos', god of Medicine and Healing *'Procella', goddess of Cataclysm *'Maloprovis', god of Madness Columbia, Maaris, Amitiel, and Pecunas are the children of Castiel and Eileen. Dracoth is the illegitimate child between Ashur and Nilreus. Midemes and Procella are the children of Wystus and Nilreus. Luis and Sanos are the sons of Adorus and Craea. Maloprovis is the son of Eileen and Ambrosia. Lesser Deities The lesser deities are the gods and goddesses whom were born after and to the Third Generation Arcadians. They, as a collective, are less significant in governance in the universe as their parents and ancestors. Fifth Generation Gods Despite being after the Third Generation Arcadians, the Fifth Generation Gods are truly the fifth in the geneology hierarchy of all Zabaeccan deities: *'Aestas', goddess of Summer *'Hora', goddess of Spring *'Autumnus', god of Autumn *'Bruma', god of Winter *'Libere', goddess of Liberty and Individuality *'Ulciscor', god of Retribution and Justice *'Alasis', goddess of Home and the Hearth *'Caraveas', god of Drama and Theatre *'Cicero', god of Smithing and Craftsmanship *'Pasmerga', god of Lycanthropy Aestas, Hora, Autumnus, and Bruma are the children of Fulmeus and Columbia. Libere and Ulciscor are the illegitimate children of Columbia and Midemes, as the latter forced it upon the former. Alasis and Caraveas are the children of Maaris and Amitiel. Cicero is the son of Sanos and Procella. Pasmerga is the son of Ambrosia and Procella. Sixth Generation Gods The Sixth Generation Gods are the begotten children of the Fifth Generation Gods and any intergenerational relationships they held with previous generations: *'Samnus', god of Music and the Arts *'Veritas', god of Truth and Honesty *'Urias', god of Intelligence and Logic *'Nemead', god of Forests *'Belseo', god of Agriculture *'Adobites', goddess of Hunting *'Natalia', goddess of Family *'Eleemsonya', goddess of Mercy and Honor *'Fraul', god of Trickery *'Obea', god of Travel *'Consternis', goddess of Nightmares and Suffering *'Cyunor', god of Cyclopes *'Vexo', god of Retrospect Samnus, Veritas, Obea, and Urias are the children of Alasis and Cicero. Nemead and Belseo are the sons of Hora and Autumnus. Adobites is the daughter of Pasmerga and Aestas. Natalia is the daughter of Libere and Caraveas. Eleemsonya is the daughter of Ulciscor and Maaris. Fraul and Consternis are the illegitimate children of Pasmerga and Libere. Cyunor is the abominable offspring of an early mortal woman after forced to have intercourse with Pasmerga. Vexo is the unwanted son of Eileen and Ulciscor. Ascended Gods The Ascended Gods are any deity in Zabaeccan polytheism who have attained deity status through any way other than having godly lineage. The first mortals to become gods were Estros and Virilis. Both of these mortals were regarded by the gods as the purest representations of being male and female. Estros was ascended to become the goddess of fertility, childbirth, and maternity. Virilis ascended to govern testosterone, fatherhood, and paternity. The only other mortal to become a god was Iconoclastes, whom became immortal through the posession of enchanted items crafted by the gods or other powerful beings. He ascended to godliness when he reassembled the body of Aetaxia and absorbed its very being -- transforming Iconoclastes to the Chaos-god Maverick. Other Beings Though Zabaeccan polytheism is mainly focused on the existence and actions of the gods and goddesses, there are other beings and individuals of notability. Powerful Nontheic Beings *Mortizar, Keeper of Vice and Virtue *Entozoon the Devourer *The Paladin Mortizar is described in the Zabaeccan story The Peculvea ''as a massive, amorphous entity that governs the balance between evil and good in the Otherworld. It is located inside the Semel Pits of Gehenna, where it also deters unwanted beings entering the Underworld. Entozoon the Devourer was depicted in the poem ''In Terram Devoratrix ''and the story ''Incidimus as a massive worm-like beast that devoured the city of Charlares. The Paladin is a being who bears bulky, massive armour made of the divine metals of Heclerite and Uvaeran -- making it nigh invulnerable. It stands guards at the Gates of Gehenna, deterring anyone who is unwanted by Ashur or other Underworld rulers. Mortals There are many notable mortals in Zabaeccan polytheism and its literature and art: *Baratheas *Iconoclastes *Tyber *Lucius *Dariot *Serbeus *Anasta Baratheas was the blind mortal lover of Cilia, goddess of the Suns. He is also the protagonist of the poem Aubade, which lays out the origins of the Aubade Twins in Zabaeccan mythology. The poem depicted Junope as only having one sun -- in which Cilia prized and sometimes visited. On Junope, however, a mortal man by the name Baratheas adored the Sun and the goddess who created it. One day, Baratheas spent his entire day staring into the sun until he permanently became blinded by its light. Taking notice to Baratheas' pain and admiration, Cilia visited him and fell in love with the mortal. After several years of romance between the blind mortal and the sun goddess, Barartheas passed away. Devastated by the loss of her mortal lover, Cilia memorialized him by creating a second sun to eternally dance with the first. Iconoclastes was a legendary mortal who became the third ascended god -- and the first to do it entirely through his own means. His story was the focus of the epics Deliritas Iconoclasta and Furor Surge. He spent decades traveling the Overworld for weapons and items created by the gods to increase his own power. Eventually, he took ownership of Umbra's Verge and discovered the dissected arm of Aetaxia. Upon making contact with the Hand of Chaos, Iconoclastes' own arm fused with that of Chaos Incarnate's -- and thus his own soul was corrupted. With his new found power, Iconoclastes went on a search through the realms of creation to reunite all of the scattered pieces of Aetaxia. When he succeeded, he transformed from the mortal Iconoclastes to the Chaos-god Maverick. Though the famous Zabaeccan King Tyber was a real, historical figure -- he has been featured in Zabaeccan mythology as a powerful ruler who defended those he ruled against unruly and unjust gods, and allowed a small period of time of peace between mortals and gods to exist during his reign. King Lucius, whom is also rooted in history, has been depicted in Zabaeccan mythology as well. Unlike Tyber, though, Lucius is seen as more controversial. During Lucius' reign in the religiously exaggerated historical record Impera de Lucius, it is described that he was tyrannical towards his subjects due to the fact that he made a secret deal with Ashur, the god of death. In their agreement, Lucius would gain unnatural powers, such as being able to conjure and wield fire -- in exchange for monthly human sacrifices in the name of Ashur. For the first 20 years of his reign, he sacrificed the poorest subjects in his control. Realizing made Zabaeccans loathe him, Lucius decided to begin invading small city-states who were not under his reign, and sacrificing large quantities of these individuals -- and keeping even more as prisoners to be used for the next sacrifice. In the story Clades, Zabaeccan Imperator Dariot and Lusonomae Arbitrator Tysus initiated the Durviintian War to see who would win the lavishing of pleasure from the goddess Eileen. The one leading Dariot's forces was the warrior-general Serbeus. During the Durviintian War, Serbeus ran into many of the battles leading his men upfront. One night five years into the war, it is described that Serbeus looked into Madan's sky and saw a bright mark illuminate the heavens. The bright object crashed down beyond the hills a few kilometers from his camp. Believing what in actuality was a meteorite to be a gift from the gods, Serbeus, a smith, and several of his men made haste towards the crash site. There, he had what he thought was heclerite to be forged into a sword and armour. The sword was named Fervorcrest. The remaining meteorite was forged into an incomplete set of armour -- with everything besides an arm gauntlet completed. Feeling invincible, Serbeus led his men to invade the city of Lusonomae three days earlier than planned -- surprising both his enemy and his allies. Wielding Fervorcrest, Serbeus charged to the walls of Lusonomae and cut through hordes of Tysus' soldiers. Breaching the city gate, Serbeus made a push for the Arbitrator's palace. However, as he was fighting up the stairway to the palace doors, Serbeus' hand was severed by an enemy -- as there was no gauntlet to counter such a move. Utilizing his durable armour, Serbeus bludgeoned his adversary to death with his own helmet and then picked up Fervorcrest with his non-dominant hand. He finished his campaign and secured the palace -- even capturing Arbitrator Tysus. However, due to his injuries and the lack of medicine to treat it, Serbeus died only a few weeks later. Though Lusonomae was captured and Tysus defeated, the Durviintian War still raged between Koezrumont and the allies of Lusonomae. The war finally did end when Imperator Dariot's forces emerged victorious, but Eileen revealed that she would only indulge in one night of Dariot's demands. Furious and frustrated, Dariot agreed and did as he planned the night. The following morning, he committed suicide in front of his subjects on the Koezrumont Palace's veranda. In the epic Mors et Bella, Ashur and Wystus have a massive war between one another in the Overworld. On Wystus' side is the Zabaeccan Empire and smaller Baeccan forces. On Ashur's side is a giant army he unleashed out of Gehenna to do his bidding. Leading the Undead Legions is the ancient, undead ruler of Lusomonae -- King Anasta. With his strategies and leadership, Ashur's army ravages the living world. However, the Zabaeccans eventually do kill him when Wystus sends down an enchanted sword named Antesacrenox for Zabaeccan Imperator Masavox to wield. Leading the charge, the two armies make a final stand in the Great Admoveri. During the battle, Anasta is struck down and dismembered by Masavox. Before Ashur can take Anasta back to the Underworld, Zabaeccan forces set the body alight and rub the ash into the Viscera's sand. Category:Religions Category:Philosophy Category:Baecca